One Moment
by The needy stranger
Summary: Set in the dojo after Ranma's tragic first kiss. How will a relatively small change affect what happens between Ranma and Akane.


Disclaimer: Alright, you know, and I know, that the only connection I have to Ranma 1/2 and its characters is this fanfic so let's not get ourselves too excited.  
  
One Moment, a Ranma 1/2 fanfiction by Richard Abraham.  
  
"Uh... I guess... This is something... You have to do with someone you like."  
  
Ranma developed an intense interest in his clasped hands, the silence between him and Akane was uncomfortable to put it mildly.  
  
"I... see. So of course you can't do it with me!" The almost habitual anger prevalent in her voice.  
  
"That's not what I meant!" The counter statement came out a little too fast, a little too desperate.  
  
Argh. Why couldn't he ever say these things right? Why didn't Akane understand what he was really trying to say?  
  
However, he saw the comprehension dawn in her eyes even as he thought this. Another silence followed, shorter, less uncomfortable, but with more tension hanging in the air between them.  
  
"If... If you don't mind... then I don't." Ranma hoped he had managed to keep the hopeful tone out of his voice.  
  
He knelt there, in the middle of the dojo, staring at the empty space on the floor between himself and Akane for more than a few moments. He wished that he could sort out all the thoughts and feelings racing through his head, but they slipped out of his grasp when he reached out to identify them.  
  
The moments turned into minutes. Ranma was sure that the other members of the family were wondering why he was still out here. He prayed that they would just assume that he was still moping and not come over to investigate his absence.  
  
Finally, both youths lifted their gazes from the floor until they were both looking at each other, still avoiding eye contact though.  
  
Ranma noticed that Akane was blushing and had an odd expression of nervousness, expectation and... well, an emotion he hadn't seen before, especially on her face. Being Ranma, his conclusion began and ended with her being nervous of this proposed kiss. It didn't really phase him though, given that he was also very nervous.   
  
Even Ranma knew though, that there was something behind his own nervousness at least. Something that remained subtle and elusive as he reached out to understand it.  
  
His search for understanding came to an abrupt halt however, when the two teens eyes found each other. Right at that moment, Ranma realised that he had never seen Akane look so... so cute.  
  
He opened his mouth, then closed it again. Anything he said now would only shatter the small, fragile bond they shared at the moment. That, and the fact that he would inevitably end up chewing on his own foot again.  
  
So they sat there, searching the other's eyes, trying to figure out what the other was thinking, where they wanted to take this.  
  
After a few minutes of this, Ranma saw Akane's expression change slightly, a look of resolve firming her features. She scooted forward on her knees to close the inches that had separated them.  
  
Ranma's eyes widened with shock as the girl leaned forward so that her face was so close he could feel her breath washing across his lips and mingling with his own breath. He was still looking in her eyes at this point and he could see the anxiety and uncertainty there.  
  
Her eyes closed and Ranma realised that she was letting him make the final choice. Caught between his feelings and his upbringing, Ranma wondered if he should just make a run for it. It took only seconds for this notion to die as he looked at the face of the girl in front of him. He wasn't sure what his feelings were for this girl who had offered to be friends with him a lifetime ago, but he knew that he wouldn't find out by running away.  
  
Besides, he was Ranma Saotome, and he never ran from anything, or anyone.  
  
Trying to swallow despite the fact his mouth was desert dry, Ranma closed the last inch between them.  
  
As their lips made contact, Ranma thought that this really wasn't as big a deal as he was building it up to be. It's just a kiss after all, nothing to get worked up over right?  
  
Then again, it did feel pretty nice. Akane's lips were soft and warm, and their lips seemed to mould themselves together in a way that felt increasingly pleasant.  
  
When Akane started moving her lips against his, Ranma responded in kind, letting himself get further swept up in the sensations he was feeling at the moment.  
  
Eventually, the couple had to separate in order to work some air back into their lungs. Ranma wasn't even sure of when he had started holding his breath. He looked over to Akane in time to see her eyes slowly open and lock onto his own.  
  
He still wasn't sure what his feelings were for the girl in front of him, in fact, he was possibly more confused than he had been only a few minutes ago. Unfortunately for him, he wouldn't have the chance to sort those feelings out at the moment as his companion spoke up:  
  
"So... I-I guess we should head back in before the others come looking for us."  
  
"Yeah, I s'pose so."  
  
They both rose to their feet and made their way to the sliding doors at the front of the dojo.  
  
Ranma slid the door open, and almost tripped over the rest of the family.  
  
Soun and Genma were dancing a jig crying tears of joy and singing.  
  
Kasumi was smiling benignly at the two youngsters.  
  
Nabiki was also smiling, though her smile sent shivers up Ranma's spine:  
  
"Don't worry." She said in a tone that would scare seasoned businessmen, "I'm sure we'll be able to arrange some sort of payment plan to keep this quiet. And for a little extra, I'll even arrange a way to postpone the wedding that will be taking place tonight."  
  
As Nabiki allowed herself to get lost in fantasies of being set for life, a pale faced Ranma turned round to face an equally pale faced Akane:  
  
"We're screwed, aren't we?" Ranma asked resignedly.  
  
"Probably." Akane admitted.  
  
Ranma knew that he would have to find some way to raise the blackmail money to keep Nabiki quiet if he was to have any chance of getting the peace he needed to sort out his emotions and feelings concerning the girl beside him.  
  
Fortunately, he knew a way to knock a little off of Nabiki's price tag and avoid the upcoming wedding. All it would require was a little case of Saotome foot in mouth disease.  
  
Thus it was with a small smirk that Ranma gave Akane a discreet wink, before opening his mouth and letting loose.  
  
-Fin-  
  
Authors notes  
  
Argh! Writing the ending for this fic was a nightmare. I usually have problems writing the endings but this was downright frustrating. It took three and a half hours of pacing before I decided 'Oh what the hell' and put down what you've seen.  
  
By the way, this hasn't been proof-read so I would really appreciate C+C, including suggestions on how to improve the story.  
  
This is my first, and probably last, Ranma fic. It's not that I haven't liked writing it, it's just that I don't know enough about either the martial arts or the emotions involved that would be needed for me to add my own take on the series.  
  
You never know though. Maybe someday in the future I'll write a sequel or continuation, depends on a lot of other things though.  
  
I wrote the rough draft for this in hospital (just on an overnight for some scans) when I was bored out of my skull and had nothing else to distract me (having just finished the second manga novel).  
  
It took a couple of weeks of it gnawing at me before I put it on the computer, and this is the result, hope you liked it.  
  
Richard. 


End file.
